The present invention relates generally to automatic transmissions and more particularly relates to a continuously variable mechanical transmission.
At present, fluid-operated automatic transmissions dominate the field because of their smoothness, long endurance, and high power transmission capability, but these devices are by no means ideal. In the present automatic transmissions, the angle of the stator blades does not vary according to slip ratio which can produce losses due to hydraulic shock. Because of the rapid fall of efficiency, for increased stator blade angle, planetary automatic shifting is required. This complicates the mechanism and decreases the reliability.
The most common mechanical transmission in use today is the sliding gear (standard) transmission which is a very efficient component, but it is incapable of automatically changing the speed ratio without manually changing the gears. Most power sources can operate only over a small speed range with good economy and power. As a result, a large number of gear changes are required for efficient operation and in fact some trucks have up to sixteen forward gears.
The present automatic and manual transmissions in use do not maximize operating economy and power through a constant maintenance of rpms at the top of the power curve. Further, these transmissions do not have the smoothest acceleration possible because they must have stepped ratio changes to provide either manual change or automatic operation.